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Beaten And Broken: Last night in Orlando the Indiana Pacers found themselves on the losing end of a must-win situation versus the Magic, and came up short – The Magic now move into 7th place by virtue of the win and a couple of losses. The Pacers now move two games out of the playoff picture, and the end of the season is approaching fast. Pacer star Jermaine O’Neal was asked about his future after the game, with the question being how much more could he take – surprisingly Jermaine who has answered the question bluntly all year – paused – tears welled up in his eyes, and he waved off the question and the interview, draping a towel over his head. Not quite the answer everyone was waiting for, and likely a sign of how bad it’s gotten in Indiana. Sources close to the club admit that Jermaine and Jamal Tinsley are likely finished with the Pacers – a league source has hinted that Jermaine’s availability was talked about at length at the trade deadline, and that it’s commonly believed the Pacers made it clear that failing to reach the playoffs would amount to wholesale changes. The Denver Nuggets are rumored to have serious interest in adding Jermaine and the Lakers are also rumored to have serious interest. If and when Jermaine hits the market virtually every team in the league will come calling – and do not be surprised if part of the asking price is taking Jamal Tinsley with him.

Re: Hoopsworld JO Rumor

I'd love to get Nene and Philly's 1st rounder (or the other 1st and a 2nd) for JO.

Not sure how JO would work in Denver, but hey, if they're interested, ...

I'd have to think it over more, but on the surface I'd definitely give Nene a serious look. As good as he's been playing for a serious stretch I'm not sure they'd wanna give him up. He was coming into his own before the big knee injury so he may just now be rounding back into form.

Re: Hoopsworld JO Rumor

"with the question being how much more could he take – surprisingly Jermaine who has answered the question bluntly all year – paused – tears welled up in his eyes, and he waved off the question and the interview, draping a towel over his head." reading that makes me feel bad for mentally shipping him out already

Re: Hoopsworld JO Rumor

"with the question being how much more could he take – surprisingly Jermaine who has answered the question bluntly all year – paused – tears welled up in his eyes, and he waved off the question and the interview, draping a towel over his head." reading that makes me feel bad for mentally shipping him out already

They are probably tears of joy. Don't worry about it.

I'm sure JO feels like he let the Pacers down but it obviously wasn't all his fault. When he leaves he will find a better situation and be all the better for it.

Brace yourself, there?s a chance the biggest question ? one of them at least - of the offseason could start to pop up on a regular basis with each Pacers? loss that drops them further out the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The question came up for the first time in awhile after the Pacers? Jamaal Tinsley-I?ll-show-you-I-can-be-Peyton Manning?s-backup loss to San Antonio on Wednesday.
Jermaine O?Neal, the last player inside the Pacers locker room, was asked about his future with the franchise by a national reporter.

I looked down at my digital tape recorder to make sure it was running and I made sure I took notes on paper just in case the recorder stopped working at any point during O?Neal?s answer.
In my head I?m thinking how am I going to get O?Neal?s latest response in the paper when we have early deadlines on Wednesday?s.

But I realized something as I listened to O?Neal. He made the comment last summer. He repeated it in Dallas in early January. And he said it again for the story I did on him for the All-Star Game.

?I want to win. If we can't put a team out there that can't compete, maybe it?s time to part ways,? O'Neal said at the AT&T Center. ?I haven't spoken with anyone about that because I don't want that to become a distraction, but I think this season does dictate a lot. Maybe at the end of the season, I want to start over. Maybe the Pacers will want to start over. Maybe we'll decide that we're going to do this for one more year?We're going to have to sit down at the end of the season, though.?

It would be different if O?Neal came out and said he doesn?t plan to sit down and talk with Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird at season?s end or if he said he definitely won?t be back with the Pacers next season.

That wasn?t the case.

I wasn?t going to write the same quote for the fourth time in less than a year. If that?s the case, I could end up writing about it another nine or 10 times before the end of the regular season.

Get ready, that probably won?t be the last time O?Neal is asked that question.

Re: Hoopsworld JO Rumor

He cried? What a schoolgirl! That's the team leader?? This guy must be moved NOW before he turns the locker room into a bunch of freaking babies!

Hmm, its interesting how tears can be interpreted so differently by people. I remember how to some Adam Morrison was a baby and to others he was a passionate player who put his heart in the game. Well, I guess I am in the second camp. Do I want to see the face of the franchise cry? No, not necessarily, but damn it I will take that over some robot who is willing to just lose and lose and isn't upset about it. To me it says we have a player who actually CARES about what happens to this team who may, gasp, actually WANT to play for the Pacers. JO is no crybaby, the man's knee is basically bone on bone and he is out there playing, trying to help his team win. If thats what a cry baby in the NBA is nowadays then the NBA sure could use more cry babies.

Re: Hoopsworld JO Rumor

If we trade JO for Nene and Denver's mid-first round #1, this is going to be a lottery team for a number of years. Not a just-barely-missed the playoffs team, but a Celtics/ Hawks cellar-dwellar type of team. For several seasons.

I know a number of you think JO is overpaid. So what? He's worth $16 million instead of $18 million. Its not like were talking about an MLE-caliber player making $18 million.

Lighten up.

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

Re: Hoopsworld JO Rumor

So do you guys think we're really letting go of Tins and JO in the off-season?

There is no question that they want to get rid of Tinsley. It became crystal clear to me based on some statements from Walsh within the last few months. JO is not someone you would want to get rid of without getting some serious quality in return. ...however, I think they may be looking to do that because, at about 28, JO and Tinsley are really the last two of the JO generation left on the team. It is pretty clear that that chapter of Pacer history needs to be closed. It has been a dreadful experience.

Re: Hoopsworld JO Rumor

If we trade JO for Nene and Denver's mid-first round #1, this is going to be a lottery team for a number of years. Not a just-barely-missed the playoffs team, but a Celtics/ Hawks cellar-dwellar type of team. For several seasons.

I know a number of you think JO is overpaid. So what? He's worth $16 million instead of $18 million. Its not like were talking about an MLE-caliber player making $18 million.

Re: Hoopsworld JO Rumor

Are you kidding me? I like JO and all, but he's a 6'11 PF shooting 44%. He doesn't bang in the post. He doesn't guard the opponent's biggest player. He's not the glue that holds this team together (obviously, as they've fallen apart with him playing most of the season).

The ONLY question I have about Nene would be health, but any of you would be lying if you wouldn't say the same for O'Neal. Nene is younger, quicker, more athletic, plays more in the post and obviously shoots a higher percentage (partially because of this and partially because he doesn't shoot 4-for-18 every 4 games). He also plays with an intensity that would help this team. And I'd love to see him play alongside Diogu.

Nene's not the scorer that JO is, and he probably never will be. But this team doesn't need their leading scorer to be a post player. That hasn't worked out for us. End the experiment. We need efficiency down there, not sheer volume.

As far as Bynum, there's no way the Lakers trade him, period! Unless someone gets stupid and offers Oden.

Re: Hoopsworld JO Rumor

Nene scores off outside stars, the offense doesn't live or die with his ability to get his own shot and draw doubles. Melo flies into the lane, draws help, dumps to Nene.

But this team doesn't need their leading scorer to be a post player.

Right, because clearly they have outside options that can take over and score like Lebron, Melo, Wade, Kobe, RayRay, Agent Zero, Nash, Parker....

oh yeah.

Send JO to Denver, watch us eat another bowl of crow and get sick as JO sees his numbers improve magically with guys like AI and Melo drawing tons of attention. The only numbers for him that would go down are blocks and charges taken because the lane wouldn't be cluttered with opposing guards coming to the rim.

Do you guys blame KG for Minny? Do you blame Dwight Howard for Orlando? Did you blame Bosh for Toronto last year?

Cripes, just compare the Miami record with Wade but not Shaq vs with Shaq but not Wade this year.

Why do people want to get into the draft? GREG ODEN. He's a point guard, right?